What Soviet replenishment reveals about maritime ambition

The 1980 NATO force comparison lists roughly 300 principal Soviet surface combatants down through frigates. It identifies 125 cruisers, destroyers, missile destroyers, and frigates that entered service since 1968. Soviet global replenishment at sea grew from about 40,000 tons in 1971 to 200,000 tons in 1980, a fivefold increase. The limited number of nuclear icebreakers did not make the polar bastion freely traversable or explain such a large expansion of support at sea. A navy intended solely to defend a nearby bastion would have much less reason to expand its capacity to operate at distance. Gorshkov's navy therefore needs to be understood through operations across the Norwegian Sea toward the GIUK Gap as well as protection of its inner bastion.